Cigarette packing machine



De. 12, 1933. `w E, MOUNS 1,939,512

C IGARETTE PACKI NG MACHINE Filed April 12, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 arra :Y

Dec. 12, 1933. I w. E. MoLNs 1,939,512

CIGARETTE PACKINCr MACHINE Filed April 12, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 cz c: gl J L. u L.

FEE W ni H IWIIIIW INVENTOR Patented Dec. 12, 1933 PATENT: OFFICE CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE Walter Everett Molins, Deptford, London,

i England Application April 12, 1932, Serial No. 604,801, and in Great Britain April 23, 1931 1 Claim.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to cigarette packing machines, and refers more particularly to an improvedmethodof feeding cigarettes-to .arpackingmachine whereby the 5 cigarettes may be removed from a hopper at a comparatively slow speed of movement without sacrificing the speed and'efliciency of the packing machine as a whole. 1

This object isachieved by simultaneously delivering the cigarettes from a hopper in a number of distinct batches or groups to a conveyor which runs along the bed of the packing machine, and so arranging the speed of movement of the various parts that each set of batches will completely fill, for example, two boxes or packets;

This method of constructing and operating the machine is particularly useful where it is desired to pack cigarettes with their printed' inscriptions facing upwards as the mechanism for turning the 20 cigarettes operates with more certainty if it works i slowly, but in any case it is desirable to remove cigarettes from the hopper slowly Vto avoid any shock which may injure the cigarettes and cause tobacco to fall out of the ends.

The invention consists of a packing machine comprising a conveyor adapted to carry a series of packets or other receptacles past a plurality of filling stations where articles are fed into the receptacles, the arrangement of the parts and the 30 relative speed of movement being such that some receptacles receive their charges from some of thel filling stations while others receive theircharges from other filling stations, the filling apparatus working only at the times when the receptacles are opposite the appropriate filling stations.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention as applied .to a machine for packing nine cigarettes in packets, and if desired, placing a separating card or picture between the rows which in this case consist of four cigarettes on the bottom row and five on the top.

Fig. 1 is a diagram of the cigarette feeding mechanism and the conveyor arrangement of such a machine.

Figs. 2 to 7 show diagrammatically six stages of the operation of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the cigarettes are placed in a hopper or box 1 which has four separate outlets beneath which are mounted thin vanes 2, 3, 4, 5 forming slots down which the cigarettes pass to a horizontal table indicated by 6.

A pusher bar 7 carried on an endless chain conveyor 8 removes a single row of cigarettes from veach set of vane slots and carries them forward (Cl. 226-5)V towards the conveyor 9 of the packing machine.

If desired, the cigarettes may firstbe delivered to a cigarette turning device such as that described in my priorv U.. S. Patent No. 1,920,707 granted August 1, 1933, from which they are delivered to the packing machine.

Two turning devices are Vprovided in the present instance for the upper rows and-indicated by rectangles 10 and 11.

VIn the present case the packing machine has an intermittently moving conveyor 9 running along the bed of the machine and provided with a series of pockets 12, each of which carries an empty cigarette box. The first pair of sets of vanes 2 and 3 each deliver four cigarettes to the table and the second pair 4 and 5 each deliver five cigarettes to the table.

Each set of vanes-of a pair are spaced apart a distance equal to the pitch of the pockets or carriers 12 on the conveyor 9 of the packing machine, and between the two pairs isa space equal to a double pitch so that when the conveyor stops five boxes will be disposed in the distance covered by the four sets of vanes, the central box beingpositioned mid-way between the two pairs of sets of vanes.

A card feeding apparatus 13 may be arranged to deliver acard on to the central box in the manner hereinafter described.

The action of the machine will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 2-7, and in these figures the contents of boxes which are complete or will eventually be complete, are illustrated by drawing and the content-s of the first three boxes which are discharged from the ma- A chine in an incomplete condition are indicated by the references of C for card and 5 for five cigarettes. The conveyor pockets are also numbered to render the working clear.

Assuming that all the boxes on the conveyor are empty, and the conveyor is at a standstill with four boxes in line with the four sets of vanes and the central box disposed midway between the sets of vanes, the-first movement of the cigarette pusher bar Will feed four cigarettes into each box opposite the sets of vanes 2 and 3 which feed four cigarettes, whilst two other boxes opposite vanes 4 and 5 will each receive five cigarettes and simultaneously a card is fed to the central box. These boxes are then as shown in VFig. 2. The conveyor then moves one stage bringing one box containing four in line with the card feed, and the other box containing four in line with the inner set of vanes 3 which feeds At the next stop of conveyor 9 two batches of four cigarettes are fed to two fresh boxes and two batchesof five to the two leading boxes and a card to the middle box. See Fig. 4. The conveyor then moves another stage and only a card is fed to the central box, the cigarette feed remaining idle. See Fig. 5. The next movement produces the result shown in Fig. 6 and the next Fig. 7. U

It will be seen, therefore, that'after the first three boxes have passed beyond the feeding position all the succeeding boxes will be filled :with two layers of cigarettes having flve cigarettes at the top and four at the bottom, with a sep- .arating card in between.

numerous arrangements may be worked out forv different numbers of cigarettes, using the principle of the invention.

A plung'er may", of course, be used for deliver'- ing the cigarettes from beneath the vanes without departing from the invention.

VIn some instances it may be necessary to deliver cigarettes from the various set of vanes alternately to get the required numberinto the packets.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:--

In a cigarette packing machine, the combination with means for conveying a plurality of cigarette packets in equidistant spaced relation through a predetermined path, said means operating intermittently to advance the packets step by step through distances equal to the spacing of the'packets, of a plurality of cigarette feeding devices disposed adjacent said vpredetermined path, each of said feeding devices serving to deliver at intervals a batch ofl cigarettes to one of said packets, said feeding devices being arrangediin a plurality ofgroups, the devices in each group being uniformly spaced, card feeding means disposed intermediate said groups ofV devices for delivering a card to' each packet, meansy WALTERv EVERETT MOLINs. 

